


Insects Eat Their Own

by InkDomain



Category: Alice: Madness Returns, American McGee's Alice
Genre: Abusive Therapist, Arson, Dubious Consent, Dubious Ethics, Dubious Morality, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Gaslighting, Mental Illness, Murder, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Manipulation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 13:09:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20657777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkDomain/pseuds/InkDomain
Summary: Small drabble about the despicable Dr. Bumby taking advantage of Alice once again. Set after her release from Rutledge, but before the events of Alice: Madness Returns.





	Insects Eat Their Own

**Author's Note:**

> There is no description of sexual/physical abuse within this fic but it is heavily implied. Bumby uses manipulation tactics to mould Alice into his version of Lizzie. There is reference to his sordid job of erasing the memories of the children at his orphanage for the sick people of London. 19th Century London's medical world was less than ideal, mental health terms used in this fic are used within the time period it is set.
> 
> Inspired by 'Give You What You Like' by Avril Lavigne.   
I do not own any of the characters/franchise involved. I do not condone any of the actions of characters involved.   
This isn't proof-read, apologises for any mistakes.   
If you, or someone you know, is being abused in a similar manner of Alice/Bumby's relationship then please, reach out and seek help.

Occasionally, fate would allow the stars to align and grant cosmic luck those on Earth. For Doctor Angus Bumby, the mercy of fate seemed to shine upon him. Escaping the justice of his crimes at the Liddell household was more than luck in his opinion. Not only was he granted his way with the object of his affection, he had seen that the youngest of the siblings had heard of his intimate time with Lizzie before ensuring she wouldn’t tell on him. She witnessed him leaving her room, locking the door to seal away the evidence before pocketing the sacred key. 

Setting ablaze to the household was easier than expected in his frenzied attempts to cover his tracks. Arthur Liddell’s fondness for the printed paper added to the inferno Bumby ignited, his collection of chemical solution in the houses’ library for his photography added to the flames. He was sure the whole family would perish on that fateful night in 1865, but news spread of a sole survivor. 

Little Alice had survived, watching helplessly as her family was snuffed out before her very eyes. Becoming catatonic, her wounds from the fire were treated at Littlemore Infirmary before she was admitted to Rutledge Private Clinic and Asylum: Home of Wayward & Lost Souls when her behaviour became volatile to herself and those around her. Bumby lost track of her once years continued to pass, and he was not apprehended. He poured his attention into running Houndsditch House for Wayward Youth, though he kept an ear out for news of the youngest Liddell. 

Dr. Bumby did not hear of Alice until the November of 1874, a whole decade after her medical incarceration at Rutledge. He was visited by Pris Witless, a nurse at the Asylum who was seeking his help for the young lady. The fates seemed to align the stars for Angus Bumby once again as Pris explained that Alice was to be discharged and now that the newly recovered woman needed bed and board, she came to him. He had to hold back his leap at the offer. 

Taking Alice in at Houndsditch, he provided her shelter in exchange for housekeeping and childcare. Grateful for the safety he provided, Alice became mouldable putty in his hands- ready to be shaped into what he saw fit. Despite Doctor Wilson claiming her madness had been cured, Alice quickly began to show symptoms of hallucinations which had not been treated adequately at the Asylum. 

Seizing the opportunity to begin the same process on Alice he used on the other children at the orphanage, he offered her hypnotherapy. Assuring her that his patients had benefitted from the treatment, Alice reluctantly agreed. As she opened herself up to him during their sessions and revealed her deepest vulnerabilities, he became more equipped with tools to use against her. Her biggest defence seemed to be her retreat to a fictional sanctuary she called Wonderland, where she was safe and could embark on grand adventures with the many friends she populated it with. 

Utter nonsense to Bumby, he began to shape the sessions to his advantage. He focused on destroying her Wonderland, corrupting that safety she found there in order to completely break her mind. She was more resistant than the other children at the orphanage, though Bumby chalked that up to her age. He would break her, and throughout the months they spent together, she would show cracks in her perfect Wonderland. With the aim of erasing her memories of his roles in her family’s demise, he encouraged the destruction of her inner world. 

As he manipulated her to chase the belief that she wanted to forget, he also began sculpt her body. She looked so much like his Lizzie that he was barely able to hold himself back from her, but he needed time for her to become pliant under his fingers. Break her just a little bit longer, make her more forgetful through the destruction of Wonderland, then he would take what he wanted from her. He didn’t touch the children of the orphanage the way he did with Alice, his role with them was to shape them for their purpose in the depraved metropolis of London. With Alice, he had a doll with Lizzie’s face that wouldn’t reject him. He savoured the perverse nights he got to spend with the insane beauty in his care. 

Dr. Bumby soaked in the nights when Alice would be a wreck from their therapy session. She lay with him on his bed, her head settled on his bare chest with the upmost trust. Her exposed back faced the flickering lantern on his bedside table, the golden glow painting her skin as his fingers traced over the canvas she revealed. Their heartbeats in sync, his fingers threading through her ebony hair, she began to shudder as nightmares plagued her behind those emerald eyes. Soothing her like the child curled against him she was, he smiled as he turned his head to press his lips to the crown of her head. She promised to him that she’d try harder in their next session, her desire to forget the painful memories spurring her to want to abandon her family. She just didn’t know that.   
“The past must be paid for.” Bumby whispers to her, his rough voice cutting through the quiet of the room as Alice settles. Unquestioning of his motives, Alice pushes herself as close to him as she can under the sheets of his bed before drifting off to a dreamless sleep.


End file.
